John Oliver's campaign for the pūteketeke got a lot of attention around the world. He called the bird "weird puking birds with colorful mullets" and even dressed up as one on a TV show. Oliver put up big signs in different countries, like New Zealand, Japan, France, and the UK, calling the bird the "Lord of the Wings" because of the Lord of the Rings movies filmed in New Zealand. Some people didn't like his campaign because they thought it was Americans getting involved in a foreign election.

Some people tried to cheat in the contest, but the pūteketeke still won with over 290,000 votes. The kiwi came in second place with only 12,904 votes. The kea, kākāpō, and fantail were also in the top five. This isn't the first time the Bird of the Year contest has had problems. Last year, the kākāpō was banned from competing because it had already won twice before.

Even though there was some trouble, the Bird of the Year poll helped bring attention to the problems facing New Zealand's native birds. Over 80% of these birds are in danger of disappearing, so the world is watching to see how New Zealand takes care of them. The pūteketeke's win reminds us that we need to work hard to protect these special and vulnerable species.

Original news source: Bird of Century: Pūteketeke wins NZ poll after campaign by John Oliver (BBC)

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students will be divided into pairs. One student will take on the role of a news reporter, and the other will be an expert on New Zealand's native birds. The reporter will interview the expert about the significance of the pūteketeke being chosen as the Bird of the Century, its characteristics, and the impact of John Oliver's campaign. They should also discuss the broader implications for New Zealand's bird conservation efforts.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a mock opinion poll in the classroom. Present the class with different statements about the Bird of the Year contest, such as "International celebrities should not interfere in national contests," or "The Bird of the Year contest is an effective way to raise awareness about endangered species." Students will move to different areas in the room to indicate their agreement or disagreement. They will then discuss their opinions in small groups.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on slips of paper, such as "pūteketeke," "campaign," "native," "conservation," and "vulnerable." Students will take turns drawing the words on the board without writing any letters, while their classmates try to guess the vocabulary based on the drawings and the context of the article.
– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Provide students with a list of words from the article, like "chosen," "cute," "record," "attention," and "endangered." In pairs or small groups, students will brainstorm and write down as many synonyms as they can for each word. Afterward, they can share their lists with the class and discuss any new words they learned.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to imagine it's 20 years in the future and the Bird of the Year contest is still going strong. Students will write a short paragraph predicting how the contest might change, what new challenges New Zealand's birds might face, and the role of international media in conservation efforts. They can then share their predictions with the class and discuss the likelihood and implications of their ideas.

The pūteketeke, a bird native to New Zealand, has been chosen as the Bird of the Century in a recent poll. This happened after a ? by John Oliver, a talk show host from the US, who ? the ? grebe to win. The Bird of the Year contest has been happening for almost 20 years, and this year it received a record number of votes from almost 200 ?. The pūteketeke won because it looks cool, takes care of its babies in a cute way, and has a habit of throwing up. John Oliver's campaign for the pūteketeke got a lot of ? around the world. He ? the bird "weird ? birds with colorful mullets" and even dressed up as one on a TV show. Oliver put up big signs in different countries, like New Zealand, Japan, France, and the UK, calling the bird the "Lord of the Wings" because of the Lord of the Rings ? filmed in New Zealand. Some ? didn't like his campaign because they thought it was Americans getting involved in a foreign election. Some people tried to cheat in the contest, but the pūteketeke still won with over 290,000 ?. The kiwi came in second place with only 12,904 votes. The kea, kākāpō, and fantail were also in the top five. This isn't the ? time the Bird of the Year contest has had ?. Last year, the kākāpō was banned from competing because it had already won twice before. Even though there was some trouble, the Bird of the Year poll ? bring attention to the problems ? New Zealand's ? birds. Over 80% of these birds are in danger of disappearing, so the world is watching to see how New Zealand takes care of them. The pūteketeke's win reminds us that we need to work hard to protect these special and vulnerable ?.

1. What is the strangest bird you've ever seen, and what made it so weird?
2. How would you feel if a bird from your country won an international contest?
3. Do you like watching talk shows? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it's okay for celebrities to get involved in things like wildlife conservation? Why?
5. Have you ever voted in a contest like Bird of the Year? If yes, what was it like?
6. What do you think makes a bird cool or cute enough to win a contest?
7. If you could dress up as any animal, which one would you choose and why?
8. How important do you think it is to protect endangered animals?
9. What is your favorite bird, and can you explain why you like it?
10. Do you think that competitions like Bird of the Year are good for raising awareness about wildlife? Why or why not?
11. Have you ever seen a campaign that made you change your mind about something? What was it about?
12. If you found out someone cheated in a contest, how would that make you feel about the competition?
13. Can you think of any creative ways to help protect endangered species?
14. Do you believe that one person, like a celebrity, can make a big difference in conservation efforts? Why or why not?
15. Have you ever been involved in protecting wildlife or nature? If not, would you like to be? Why or why not?

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